Accused biter faces two felony assault charges

Man was left to watch 2-year-old boy for two nights

George Joshua Gilmer, 34, Omak, was charged Nov. 18 with second-degree assault of a child and endangerment with a controlled substance.

A statement by Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office Detective Deborah Behymer said the Sheriff’s Office was notified Oct. 9 by state Child Protective Services that the child, identified as JFP, suffered multiple human bites on his inner and outer thighs and buttocks, and lesion marks and a red rash on his penis.

Behymer’s statement was filed with the charges as a probable cause statement.

The statement alleged Gilmer was alone with and caring for the child for two nights.

Although the child apparently had been bitten previously by a 2-year-old cousin, the marks were several centimeters wider than the other child’s jaw, the statement said.

The documents did not specify what Gilmer’s relationship is to the child, nor the relationship between Gilmer and Rosea Perez. She was described as the child’s custodian and was out of town at the time of the alleged incident, court records said.

Perez took the child to the doctor when she discovered the rash on his penis, court records said.

The bite marks were discovered at the clinic.

The maximum penalty for a conviction of either charge is 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine, plus restitution and assessments.

The assault charge counts as a “most serious offense” under the state’s “three strikes” law.